JOHN 17:1-19
King James Version (KJV)
17
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up
his eyes to heaven, and said,
Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may
glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give
eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory
which I had with thee before the world was.
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of
the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy
word.
7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are
of thee.
8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they
have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they
have believed that thou didst send me.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou
hast given me; for they are thine.
This is the real "Lord’s Prayer" and is often called
the High
Priestly Prayer of Christ,
because He prays first for Himself and then for His own-the twelve, in verse 6,
and all who will believe.
17:1-19 GLORIFICATION OF CHRIST The celestial glory that Jesus had from the beginning was temporarily
hidden (veiled) during His earthly life. At the ascension of Christ Jesus was
both glorified and transfigured.
Illustration: It is interesting to contrast
the post-resurrection appearances of Christ with the post-ascension revelation.
In the former, Christ often concealed His glory to the point that He was not
recognized, such as by the disciples at Emmaus (Luke 24:16, 31), or by Mary
Magdalene who thought He was the gardener (20:14). The post-ascension
revelations involve His radiant appearance. The difference between John’s
meeting with Christ in John 21 and in Revelations 1 was that of seeing the
Resurrection body (not glorified) and of later seeing the transformed and
celestial body (glorified).
Application:
Someday Christians will also be
glorified together with Christ (Roman.8:17). (First Reference, John
17:1; Primary Reference, Rev. 1:13-16; cf.1 John 2:1)
17:1 His hour had finally come (cf. 2:4; 7: 8:20). This refers not only to His
death, but also to His resurrection and exaltation. Glorify refers to the Cross and the Resurrection. Verse 2 means that the giving of eternal life
directly depended on the glorification of the Son.
17:3 Eternal
life is more than an endless existence. It is a personal relationship with God.
17:4 I
have finished (teleiosas) means "I have made perfect or completed."
This verb is in the active voice, indicating Christ had finished His active
ministry (cf. 4:34). He now assumes a passive role. In 19:30 ("It is
finished") the passive voice suggests that He has by then finished His
passive ministry as well.
17:5 Jesus gives clear testimony to
His preexistence.
17:12 The
son of perdition was
Judas (cf. 2 Thess. 2:3).
17:17 Sanctity means to "set apart"
or "separate for God’s purposes."
Inerrancy
17:18 When applied to Scripture, the term inerrancy means that what God revealed and inspired is accurate, reliable authoritative, and without error. Since all Scripture is inspired, every Word of God is true. Just as a book often reflects the character of its writer, so the Scripture is without error because God is without fault. Illustration: Jesus upheld the principle of inerrancy when He preached in Nazareth. He carefully stopped reading in the middle of a verse before announcing the fulfillment of Scripture that day (cf. Is.61:1, 2; Luke 4:18). The rest of the Isaiah passage will be fulfilled at His second coming. Application: As we read the Scripture, we can have total confidence in their reliability and accuracy. (First Reference, Ps.119:160; Primary Reference, John 17:17; cf. Jer. 36:27.)
The Origin of His Power: Thou hast given him power; he
has it from God, to whom all power belongs.
The extent of his power: He has power
over all flesh. (a.) Over all mankind. He has power in and over the world of
spirits, the powers of the upper and unseen world are subject to him (1 Pet.
3:22); but, being now mediating between God and man, he here pleads his power
over all flesh. They were men whom he was to subdue and save; out of that race
he had a remnant given him, and therefore all that rank of beings was put under
his feet.
(b.) Over mankind considered as
corrupt and fallen, for so he is called flesh, Gen. 6:3. If he had not in this
sense been flesh, he had not needed a Redeemer. Over this sinful race the Lord
Jesus has all power; and all judgment, concerning them, is committed to him;
power to bind or loose, acquit or condemn; power on earth to forgive sins or
not. Christ, as Mediator, has the government of the whole world put into his
hand; he is king of nations, has power even over those that know him not, nor
obey his gospel; whom he does not rule, he over-rules, Ps. 22:28; 72:8; Matt.
28:18; John 3:35
(c.) The grand intention and design of this power: That he should give
eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. Here is the mystery of our
salvation laid open.
In Christ,
Playwright Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts
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